


Tippy toeing through college

by liliaeth



Category: Supernatural, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: College, Crossover Pairings, F/F, college student malia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-04-29 11:33:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5125964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liliaeth/pseuds/liliaeth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roommates in college don't always work out as well as you'd like</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tippy toeing through college

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hhwgv](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hhwgv/gifts).



> A big thank you to Jennuine and maythetardisbewithyou for betaing this fic at the very last minute. Both of you are true lifesavers.

“My name is Malia Tate, I’m 19 years old and I deserve to be here.” She whispered as she sat in the back of her father’s car. 

Her dad looked up, smiled and tried to find a place to park. She leaned up against her bags and tried to recall if she’d forgotten anything. She was sure she hadn’t. But there’d been so much to think of when they’d left. Not that she needed much, if it had been up to her, two outfits would be enough. But she knew that Lydia would expect updates, and there’s no way that Lydia would let her get away with that.  
_“Why wouldn’t you be smart enough to go to college?”_ She remembered Scott asking. 

_“Because I’m stupid,” she’d answered. Staring at her latest test scores._

_“Why? You passed, didn’t you?”_

_“Barely.” She tried to shrug it off. She remembered being so happy the first time she’d managed to pass a test. And then to see Stiles react as if there was nothing special about getting a C. He’d tried to understand, but he never seemed to get how happy she was when she’d actually managed to understand something._

_“Malia,” Scott had touched her, the Alpha’s presence sending a sense of calm through her, even when he wasn’t even using any of his powers. “You’re one of the smartest people I know.”_

_She’d snorted at that, finding it ridiculous._

_“You are. You missed years, not just of formal education, but years of any kind of education, of any kind of human interaction. And within a year, you didn’t just manage to survive, but you’ve pretty much caught up with us. I can’t even imagine doing the same if I’d been in your place. You’re smart Malia, maybe even Lydia’s level of smart, you just need time to catch up, before you know it, you’ll be ahead of all of us.”_

_“Except for Lydia.”_

_“Except for Lydia.” He smiled, she liked it when he smiled. There was something comforting about the Alpha’s smile, she wished he never stopped._

She shivered, feeling the hair stand up straight as she got out of the car. The sun was hidden behind clouds and she quickly closed her coat. It was at times like these that she wished she could just hide behind her fur. The other kids around her were chatting excitedly, either to their parents, or to people they knew. 

She tried to hold her head high, and picked up her bags and the microwave before her dad could do it. He still hadn’t accepted that she was stronger than him. Besides, she figured that he’d probably try to carry the mini fridge he’d bought her, instead of letting her bring the thing inside. He’d learn; she’d get that one on her second trip. 

Her roommate was already setting up, computer set up on the left side desk, books in place. Malia couldn’t help noticing the girl. It wasn’t just the way she looked, there was something about her smell, the way she held herself. Controlled, hidden strength, without showing off. A sense of tension that filled the room, as soon as she looked up and looked back up at her, before turning down her eyes.

Malia tried to force herself to smile as she stepped into the room. The other girl barely even responded to her, so Malia let it go, setting up her stuff. She’d tried sending an email to the girl a few weeks ago, she’d even gone as far as asking Lydia for help with that one. Because if there was one thing she wasn’t good at, it was meeting outsiders. 

She never got a response.

She could hear someone stumbling in the hallway, and quickly opened the door, seeing her father, with some help from a big guy, carefully trying to carry the mini fridge. 

“I told you I’d get it,” she said; her father shrugged it off and continued on with his work. She sighed and let him. She figured he wanted to feel useful. He’d been like that a lot the past few years. Desperate to let her know how happy he was that she was back, desperate to keep her with him, to prove that he’d be there for her. That she could trust him. She’d felt so locked in at first, especially when he sent her to Eichen House. She knew he’d done it for her sake, to get her the help she needed. Because the doctors told him he had to. But she’d hated him for it, blamed him for it. She regretted that now, especially when she compared him to her ‘real’ parents, hah, birth parents was a better word. Peter had tried to manipulate her from the first time they met and the Desert Wolf… she’d just wanted her dead. At least Dad cared, that made him her real father more than either of the other two could ever lay claim to the title. And how had she repaid the Tates for the love they’d given her? She’d killed her mother, her sister, and then run off, abandoning her father for years. Because living as a coyote had been so much easier than going back and facing what she’d done.

She put down her bags and took off her coat. 

That was the first time her roommate seemed to pay attention to her. The look of disgust on the girl’s face was obvious. Malia tried to check herself in her reflection on the glass, she had no idea what she’d done wrong already. She brushed her hair out of her face and sat down on the bed, unsure what to do now. Her father was thanking the guy who’d helped out, and Malia realized she should have thanked him as well, right after he’d already left the room.

“I think we’ve got everything.” he said. She nodded, her hand on her computer bag. 

“I’ll miss you.” 

She didn’t know how to answer that. Of course she’d miss him, just like she’d miss her friends. But it was hard to say that. Scott made it seem so easy, interacting with people. She’d never been good at it. She never understood why her and Stiles had worked as long as it did, probably because he was good at telling her what to do, he never seemed to mind pointing out her mistakes. Even when it hurt. But then again, that’s why it had ended as well. 

Her father hugged her before leaving, it was a bit uncomfortable hugging him back, but she did so anyway, trying to do the right thing, to make him feel good about leaving her here. 

She winced as the door closed behind him.

 

****

 

College wasn’t like high school. Not just the fact that none of her friends were here. Scott was over in Stanford, medical school; Stiles, he’d gone to some school in Boston, he’d said something about wanting to take psychology with plans of heading to Quantico afterwards; Kira was in New York, taking arts classes; Lydia was at MIT. And here she was, in some community college because even with a doctor’s note like she’d had back in Beacon Hills, she couldn’t change her SATs. Sure, they were all so understanding about her situation, but that still didn’t change the fact that most of them didn’t get it. 

She felt even more out of place than she had at home. Spending most of her time in the library; studying in her room was hard because her roommate, Krissy, was there, always ready to glare at her when she made a sound. At least Malia was good at tiptoe-ing around. She’d had plenty of experience after all.

She was studying zoology, Scott said it might help her with helping to understand herself. Both the coyote as well as the human part of her. She hoped he was right.  
Lydia had just told her to go with her gut, pick whatever she felt was right. In the end she’d thrown a dart at a wall and picked whichever stuck. 

She stared up at the sky, noticing the full moon as it came out of hiding from behind the clouds. She’d felt it of course, but feeling it under your skin, feeling it tingle in your blood wasn’t the same as actually looking up at it. She wanted to howl at the moon, or yip like a coyote, but she couldn’t do that, so instead she pulled her bag closer and made her way up to her room. Only to see someone surrounded by three guys. Three drunk guys from the smell of them. 

She made her way up to them. It was then that she noticed their intended victim. Part of her wanted to walk away when she saw who it was. It’s not like Krissy had ever done anything for her. But she couldn’t bring herself to do that, not anymore. She was human now, not a coyote, and life was about more than getting enough to eat and surviving to eat more the next day. 

Only before she even got there, Krissy had managed to take down two of the three guys surrounding her. And when the third tried to take her out, she just kicked him in the stomach and took him out as well. 

Malia stared at her, a bit stunned. She was pretty sure that Krissy wasn’t a were, or a chimera for that matter. And the only human she’d ever known of who could fight like this was Allison. 

Krissy stared at her, finally noticing her. 

“What do you want?”

“To help you?” Malia said, before pointing at the three guys. “But it seems you had it in hand.”

Krissy looked at her. “I don’t need help, just go back to your partying, I’m sure you can find some fun elsewhere.” Leaving Malia behind, standing in between the three assholes, one of which was groaning in pain. Malia gave him a kick before following after Krissy. The other girl didn’t stop.

They met up in their room again, it was hard to avoid one another when you shared a dorm room.

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” she finally asked, her voice sounding far too loud in the dark of the room.

Krissy didn’t seem to want to answer, pretending to sleep. Then Malia continued on without thinking first. “Are you a hunter?” The thud of something hitting the wall was enough of a warning that that was a mistake. 

“What do you know about hunters?” Krissy was sitting up in her bed. Malia could see her clearly, even in the dark. She didn’t even need her enhanced sight for that. 

“A friend of mine used to date one.” And Lydia had tried to make her into a replacement for Allison. At least at first. Until she realized that Malia could never be Allison. It had taken a while after that before the two of them became real friends. Not that it stopped Lydia from giving her some of the clothes that Allison had left behind. Malia’s fashion sense was dreadful, or so Lydia kept telling her. “She was a member of the Argent family, in case you’ve heard of them.”

Krissy stared at her for a second before shrugging. “Never heard of them.” Krissy was leaning up against the walls, pulling up her knees, hugging them. “What happened to her?” 

“She was killed by Oni, a Nogitsune made them do it.”

“Demons.” The anger with which she spat out the word said enough. Malia couldn’t disagree.

“And you?” Malia asked, wondering if there was a story.

“A vampire killed my Dad, and then things happened.” Krissy said. The pain in her voice was all too clear.

“Really?” Just the idea of vampires, it felt like it came out of a book, like it was too much to be real. 

“What, you don’t believe me?”

“Sorry, I just. I know about Werewolves and Banshees and Wendigos, I’ve just never... Are vampires real?”

Krissy didn’t answer, she just sat there. 

Malia wanted to know more, but she knew that she wouldn’t like it if someone questioned her either. And it wasn’t like she wanted to share her story. How could anyone understand anyway? That her mother’s attack had made her kill her own family. That she’d spent half her life living in the woods, that she felt like nothing but a Coyote in human skin, wishing she could just run and run, and hide from all of it. 

She couldn’t blame anyone else for wanting to do the same. 

 

****

 

Things got better after that. Krissy still seemed to act a bit off, but at least some of the cold disregard was gone. Malia started studying in her room instead of the library. It wasn’t easy studying, sometimes she had to look things up, just to know what people were talking about. But she tried to remember Scott’s words, she was smart, she did deserve to be here, she just had to catch up. 

“How did you manage to miss Star Wars. Seriously? It’s only one of the most popular movies in the world.” Malia blushed.  
“I just never got around to it.”

“Why hasn’t anyone corrected that yet?” Stiles had tried, of course he had, but there’d been so much else going on at the time.

So they sat in their room, watching the movie on Krissy’s laptop. It didn’t seem as impressive as people made it sound. Malia’s mind started wandering, and she wondered why she had never heard back from Krissy before school started.

“Why didn’t you answer my e-mail?” Malia asked. 

Krissy looked away, a confused look on her face. “E-mail?” Suddenly a look of realization came over her face. “Oh shit.”  
Krissy blushed, seeming a bit ashamed. “Would you believe me if I said I forgot?”

“You forgot?” Malia hated how much it hurt, she’d put effort in that mail, it had meant something, she’d spent days worrying about it.

Krissy shrugged and turned around, lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. “My friends and I, we were tracking this werewolf during summer, and I guess… I forgot. “

“What did the werewolf do?” Malia asked, wondering if it was someone she knew. 

“What do werewolves always do?”

“I don’t know.” Malia answered, “Most of the ones I know seem to be into lacrosse.”

“Into what?” 

“Lacrosse, it’s this sport, you play it with a stick. I’m sure it’s interesting, Kira seems to like it and Scott and Stiles spent a lot of time at practice.”

“Lacrosse?”

“Yeah, Stiles always said that Scott was cheating, you know, using his werewolf powers to win games. But Scott insisted he didn’t, and... what?” Somewhere in the middle Krissy had stood up. 

“Your friends are werewolves?” Krissy asked.

“Some of them are.” Malia wasn’t sure what to say. “But they’re good people.”

She didn’t want Krissy to hate her again, would Krissy hate her if she knew the truth? Would she hate her even more if she lied? Malia wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do.

“Most of my friends are wolves or something other, and so am I,” she said before turning to Krissy, her eyes glowing blue. “Do you hate us for that?”

Krissy jumped up from the bed, as if ready to look for a weapon. Malia couldn’t handle it, so she just left, slamming the door as she did, making her way through the hall and out of the building. It was cold outside. Cold for California, anyway, but she didn’t go back to get her coat.

 

****

 

“You didn’t have to leave.” Krissy’s voice sounded behind her. 

Malia looked back, she was sitting on the roof. She wondered how Krissy had gotten up there, but didn’t ask.

“I didn’t want a fight.”

“I wasn’t going to fight you. Damn it, Malia. I’m not going to kill you because you’re a were, I kill monsters, not freaks.”

Malia looked back at her. “I killed my family.” She whispered. Krissy’s eyes went wide open. “Or at least I think I did.”

“How?” Malia remembered what Krissy had said about her father, how much losing him had hurt.

“I was nine years old. We were in a car, I told my mom, I wished she’d die. I was so angry at her. I didn’t mean it. And then… I don’t know if I remember what happened, part of me tells me that I turned, shifted for the first time, and another part of my memory remembers someone on the road, shooting at the car. I don’t know which if any of it is true. I just know that my mom and my sister died and I was the reason they died.”

Malia wasn’t sure when Krissy had gotten close, but she did, pulling her into a hug. 

“I lived in the woods after that. It was easier. They say coyotes don’t feel guilt. They’re wrong. I still felt it, it just didn’t hurt as much as it does now, as a human.”

“How long were you in the woods?”

“Years and years. I was seventeen when Scott brought me back, he howled at me, forced me to turn back to human. I hated him for that, I hated all of them for forcing me back into a life that no longer fit me. “

“And to think I thought you were some spoiled bimbo?”

Malia almost growled at that.

“I mean, come on, with your loving father, and the stuff, I didn’t think… I guess I was the one who was stupid.”

They sat there, looking down. Krissy put her hand on Malia’s. “I was wrong. And so are you.”

Malia looked back at her.

“You’re not a monster, Malia. You were just a kid, and you’re a person, a person with ... issues.”

“Are your friends going to try and kill my friends?” 

“Not if they don’t try to kill us first, deal?” 

“Deal.“ The two slapped their hands together. 

“That’s not how you make a deal though.” Krissy said, a grin on her face.

Malia just blinked at her, confused, but Krissy kept smiling, and it was such a marked difference from the girl who had spent weeks glaring at her. Malia kept watching her cautiously, taking in her scent, the quickening of her pulse. She was pretty sure she knew what was coming. And she was fine with it. More than fine at that.

Malia was quiet as Krissy pulled her close, touching their lips in a kiss that seemed to last forever. 

“Now that’s how you make a deal.”

The end.


End file.
